The Damned announce covers album in tribute to late guitarist Brian James
The Damned have confirmed details of a new covers album, recorded in tribute to their late guitarist Brian James.
James died on March 6th, 2025, aged 70, and was later buried at sea following a memorial service in Brighton, which was a request that he made in his will.
At the time of his death, The Damned labelled James as a “visionary” and said he “meant so much to this band but we cannot finish without saying (and I’m sure anyone who met him would agree) what an absolute gent he was.”
Now, his former bandmates are honouring his legacy with the new record, Not Like Everybody Else, which was recorded over a five-day period at Revolver Studio, Los Angeles.
The record is also notable because it features Rat Scabies on the drum kit, marking the first time he has contributed to an album by The Damned in 40 years.
Across Not Like Everybody Else, The Damned take on classic tracks such as Pink Floyd’s ‘See Emily Play’, ‘When I Was Young’ by The Animals, and, poetically, it concludes with the final song that James performed with The Damned in 2022. His final concert with the group took place at the Eventim Apollo in 2022, which was brought to an end with a fitting cover of The Rolling Stones’ ‘The Last Time’.
To celebrate the new release, which is scheduled to arrive on March 6th, 2025, The Damned will perform a one-off concert at The Albert Hall in Manchester on January 28th.
Next year is also set to see The Damned play a huge headline show at the OVO Wembley Arena to celebrate their 50th anniversary, which will take place on April 11th, 2026. They will be joined by The Loveless featuring Marc Almond, Peter Hook and The Light and The Courettes.
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